Here’s an important tip when using translation software: when your business’ success hinges on 100% accurate translation AND interpretation, always have a dependable consultant go over the results.
Translation software, for all its major advancements, just doesn’t have the full set of tools required to transform complex documents into 100% accurate form. As such, trusting one without consulting a native speaker can lead you down a road of regret.
Say, you’re selling a beauty product on the web using a landing page in English and want to expand your market to a country like Germany. Since a professional translator is very expensive, you opt to use a language translation software that converts the copy automatically.
If you use a good translation application, there’s no doubt that the copy will be readable, albeit not perfect. Chances are, there will be some poor grammar constructs here and there. Now, think back to how well your English landing page will convert if it features the same grammar errors. Will customers take you seriously? Will people be willing to hand you over their money?
A solution many have used is to run the translation software as a first draft. After getting the results, they bring it to a consultant for cleaning up and correcting. Since the initial version has already been done, it drastically reduces the amount of work a professional consultant will need to do, reflecting on lower costs. You will save some money compared to having the copy translated from scratch, while still getting a good result.